Always There
by rockrose
Summary: OTH & GG Crossover. This is an AU fic. Rory & Lucas have been best friends most their lives, and always spend the summer together. What happens when Logan learns of this? Important: This is on hiatus and will eventually be rewritten.
1. How I Spend My Summers

AN: I've recently gotten back into OTH, so I decided to write a OTH & GG fic. This is AU. I don't usually write things that are this AU, so it's an experiment for me. Let me know what you think!

Disc: I don't own GG or OTH. If you sue me, you get three temperamental cats and that's it.

Chapter 1

"Ace, wait up!" Logan Huntzberger yelled, hurrying to catch up to his girlfriend.

"Oh, hey Logan," Rory said as she stopped in the courtyard, waiting for Logan to catch up.

"Hey Ace." He said, giving her a quick kiss. "I have an idea I want to run by you."

"Ok" She nodded as she moved over to sit on a nearby bench.

Logan looked at his beautiful girlfriend. He cared for her a lot, but lately things had been rocky between them. His family didn't approve of their relationship since she wanted a career. That in it self had caused things to be strained between them. He could only hope his idea would be the beginning of making things right again.

"As you know, Finn, Colin, and I always go away over the summer. Just so we get away from our families, Hartford, and all that. Will you go to Australia with us this summer? We would all like you to." Logan took a breath and looked over at her, a hopeful expression evident on his face.

Rory bit her lip. As much as she cared for Logan, the summers belonged solely to Lucas and her. Nothing would ever change that. Summer with Lucas was sacred time to her. She just was not sure how she was going to explain that to Logan.

Taking a deep breath, she began. "Logan, as great as that sounds, I can't." God, she hated the hopeful look on his face. She hated letting him down.

He blinked. Had she really just refused to spend the summer with him in Australia? "Excuse me?"

She sighed. Logan was nothing if not persistent. She knew he wouldn't give up any time soon. "Let's go back to my dorm, and once we're there I'll explain everything, ok?"

Logan looked confused, but nodded his head in agreement anyway.

Once they were at her dorm room they sat facing each other on the couch. Paris was at Doyle's, so privacy was not an issue.

Logan looked over at her expectantly.

"Logan, I care about you a great deal. Please don't doubt that." She said, taking his hands in her own.

"So why won't you go?"

"My best friend, Lucas Scott, and I always spend our summers together. Always. Ever since we were born. I already have plans to stay with him in North Carolina this summer."

"Let me get this strait. You are blowing me, your boyfriend, off to stay with another guy. Another guy whom I never even knew existed until today?" He looked astonished. At this point, he honestly had no idea _what_ to think.

Rory had been afraid this would happen. None of her ex boyfriends had ever been comfortable with her friendship with Lucas. She told him everything, more than Lane, her mom, and Paris put together. She didn't want to make Logan feel uncomfortable, so she had never mentioned Lucas.

"Please understand." Was all she could think to say.

"Understand? Understand? That's a joke, right?" As his voice grew louder, he stood up and began to pace across the floor.

Just watching him going back and forth and back and forth was beginning to make her dizzy.

"Logan, I didn't tell you about Lucas before because I was afraid of how you would react!"

He continued to pace.

"Would you stop that? You're like that damn pink bunny… you keep going and going and going, and you're driving me crazy!" She finally said, after a few minutes of awkward silent pacing.

He turned to glare at her. "And I'm just chipper because you're going off with some other guy all summer!"

"Oh my God! This isn't some guy. It's Lucas. My best friend. The guy I call at any and all hours of the day or night to tell anything and everything to! For God's sake, he's given me tons of advice about our relationship!"

The pacing stopped.

_Oops. Perhaps when informing your boyfriend of your best guy friend, telling him you went to the guy friend for relationship advice wasn't the smartest move._

"What advice?"

She put her head in her hands. Could this go any worse?

She lifted her head up. "Just, advice. In general. We talk at least once a day, so it's about anything and everything basically."

Logan raised an eyebrow. "You talk at least once a day?"

"He's my best friend!" She defended, hoping that Logan wasn't feeling the urge to walk out the door and never look back. Guys really could be so needlessly insecure.

Logan plopped back down beside her. He let out a deep breath, and turned to look at her. "Ace, it's not about him being your best friend. It's about you not telling me you have a best friend named Lucas. It's about how you talk to him every day and I never knew. It's about me not knowing this." _Well, mostly. That, and the fact that he's a male. But she didn't need to know he felt that way._

_Geesh… could I feel any guiltier?_ "I am so sorry Logan! I never thought of it that way. I just didn't want you getting the wrong idea about Lucas and me. People do it a lot."

Logan took another deep breath. He could tell by looking at her that nothing was going on. At least not on her part.

"Come here, Ace." He said, gathering her into his arms.

As they settled back onto the couch, cuddling, he wondered how he was going to get the guys to agree to go to North Carolina with him. And how much Rory would want to kill him once she found out they would be accompanying her on her vacation.


	2. Late Nights

Disc: If you looked at my bank account, you would see that I don't own GG or OTH.

AN: Thank you guys sooo much for all the wonderful reviews! I appreciate them**. I replied to the reviews in my blog. That's where my long AN will go for each chapter!** Without any further ado… enjoy!

Chapter 2

Lucas stretched out on the bed. One week. Seven days. 168 hours. Then Rory would be here. He missed his best friend immensely. She was the one person he could tell everything to. They had been best friends for most their lives. The one bright spot of the summers until they turned 18 was that they had each other.

Neither of them got along with their fathers, but the custody arrangements for both of them were that their dad's got summers. Their dads lived next door to each other in Boston. It would have been unbearable had they not learned to turn to each other.

Hearing his cell phone ring, he rolled over and grabbed it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Lucas. I need a favor." Came the voice on the other end of the line.

Lucas sat strait up at this. "Sure, what is it?"

"I need to get out of here. I don't exactly have the funds to go anywhere really this summer, but I can't stay here with dad. You think I can come crash with you and Ror?"

This caught Lucas's interest. Nathan had only came to Tree Hill a handful of times. Once for Winter break when Dan and Deb went on a cruise, once when they were 14 for Spring break, and a few odd weekends here and there over the years.

"Sure Nathan. But what's going on?"

"I'll tell you all about it this summer. I just need to get out of here." There was a tint of desperation beginning to creep into his voice.

"Well, just come down here whenever. Ror gets in next week. We're just staying here this summer. Neither of us are really rolling in cash at the moment, either."

"Ok, well, I need to get some things done, I'll be there in the next few days."

The line went dead, and Lucas closed his phone. That was strange. Something was going on, and it couldn't be good.

-OTH-GG-

Two days later Lucas was at the airport, waiting for the plane to arrive. He got a call earlier in the morning from Nathan, telling him he would need a ride. Lucas was glad Nathan was getting in earlier than Rory. He hoped that whatever was going on with Nathan could be sorted out before Rory got there, he didn't want anything to take away from her visit. Then, they would all be able to hang out together, not worrying about much of anything. They tried to visit a few times a year, but that didn't always happen.

"Hey bro!"

Lucas turned around. "Hey!" They greeted each other with a quick pounding of their fists, and made their way out of the airport. Once they were in the car, Lucas decided it was time to start getting things figured out.

"So what's going on?"

Nathan let out a breath. He knew that the inquisition would start as soon as he got here. He figured it would be easier to tell Lucas what was going on now, rather than later.

"My mom left."

Lucas's jaw dropped. "Wow… that's… wow. Sorry man."

"Yeah. He's been drinking more than usual. Shit's really hitting the fan right now. Mom is staying with a friend of hers in Boston. I just needed out of there. I am not spending the summer there until school starts back up."

"I understand. I'm glad you came here. We'll have fun this summer. Between Ror and me, we'll get your mind off it."

"Good. That's what I need. That, and a drink."

Lucas laughed. "Coming up man, coming up."

-OTH-GG-

Late that night, Lucas hit the number 3 on his phone, holding it until it speed dialed a number that, thankfully, didn't take up minutes since he had free mobil-to-mobil. Otherwise, he would be constantly broke.

"'Lo?" Came a strange, groggy, male voice.

Lucas frowned. "Is Rory there?"

"She's asleep. Can she call you back later?"

'_Aha, so this must be the boyfriend.' _

"Yeah, that's fine. Is this Logan?"

"Yeah, who's this?" The voice sounded less groggy, and somewhat annoyed.

"Lucas, a friend of Ror's. Just tell her to call me back whenever. Later."

With that, he hung up. That had been awkward. He knew Rory had a boyfriend, and was sleeping with him, but knowing it and talking to the guy while he was probably in bed with her were totally different scenarios. He just didn't know why it bothered him.

-OTH-GG-

Several more hours later, he was still tossing and turning. Sleep was not coming to him tonight. Running his hands over his face, he got up. He quickly threw on some sweats and tennis shoes, and grabbed a basket ball.

"Can't sleep either?" Nathan asked, sitting on the couch in the dark.

"Nah, too much on my mind. Come on." Lucas responded, gesturing to the basketball in his hands and moving to the door. Nathan got up to follow him out into the night.

"So what's going on?" Nathan asked once they got to the court.

Lucas paused and glanced over at him. "I'm not sure. I'm just not sure."

Nathan raised an eyebrow at him as they began to play.

"You must have some idea. What's the general problem?"

Lucas shot the ball at the basket. It went smoothly in, not touching the rim. "There's no problem."

Nathan grabbed the ball and shook his head. "So if there's no problem then why are you out here with me at 2 a.m.?" _'Getting info from him is like pulling teeth…'_

"I can't sleep."

"That's pretty obvious. Now why couldn't you sleep?" Nathan rolled his eyes at this, getting exasperated_. 'Make that performing a root canal. After all, pulling teeth is much simpler.'_

Lucas shrugged in response.

"Is it a girl?"

With that, Lucas made another shot, not looking at Nathan. _'Bingo!'_ He thought.

"Do I know her?"

Still, no answer.

'_So that's a yes.'_

"Come on, just tell me."

Lucas gritted his teeth. "Don't worry about it. It's nothing. Now are you going to play, or talk to yourself all night? Because this discussion is over."

"Fine. Discussion is over. For now." Nathan agreed. '_After all, I have all summer find out. Maybe Rory can help me. She knows him better than anyone. If anyone can figure out who the girl is, it's Rory.' _ With those final thoughts on the subject, he grabbed the basketball and returned his mind to the game.


	3. Phone Calls

Disc: I don't own GG. I don't own OTH. I know, poor, sad me.

AN: Thanks for the reviews! Comments are on my blog!

Chapter 3

Logan blinked his eyes open, tightening his arms around the woman he was holding. She looked up at him, smiling slightly.

"Morning Ace." He said, kissing her forehead lightly.

She yawned. "Morning. Need coffee. Now."

He grinned. "So get coffee."

She narrowed her eyes, glaring at him. "Nooo… that's your job."

"Since when?" '_This explanation should be amusing.'_ He thought, waiting.

"Since you wanted to be my boyfriend. It comes with the territory. Do I need to replace you with a guy who caters to my coffee needs?" She asked, shaking her head slightly, a teasing glint in her eyes.

"Well, we can't have that." He responded, crawling out of bed and dressing. As he was about to go get her coffee, a thought struck him.

"Hey Ace, Lucas called last night. It was really late. He said to let you know he called."

She nodded. "Ok, thanks."

As he left the room in search of coffee and breakfast, she grabbed her phone, hitting the 3.

"What?" An obviously annoyed, tired voice snapped.

"Geesh. With a greeting like that I just can not wait to spend the whole summer with you. Hmm… what will you do when you see me? I mean, if you're this thrilled to hear from me, I can only imagine the snippy things you'll say when you see me."

"Sorry Ror. I had a late night."

"I guess I can forgive you. Just this once. And just because I have to deal with you all summer." She teased.

"Well, aren't I lucky? Cause God forbid you not forgive me."

"So, I heard you called last night." She stated, moving on from the early morning, pre coffee banter.

"Yeah." His voice was quiet. Somewhat strained.

"And it was about…?"

"Nothing much. Just wanted to see what was going on."

"Oh. Well, I'm going to be there in four days. Nothing much here. Just spending time with everyone before I leave."

"Ok. Do you mind letting me get back to sleep?" There was that tone again. She didn't particularly care for this tone. It was a distracted tone. She was used to his full attention, no matter what time of the day or night it happened to be.

"Um, sure. Later."

"Later." And with that, he hung up.

She frowned listening to the dial tone. She wasn't sure what his deal was. But she had all summer with him. She would figure it out.

-OTH-GG-

While getting the breakfast, Logan took the opportunity to call Colin.

"Hello." Came the annoyed tone of Colin's voice. His stock market reading time was being interrupted. That was something he did not like happening.

"Are the arrangements all made?" Logan inquired, cutting to the chase.

Colin sighed. "Yes, but I don't see why we have to go to some hick town in North Carolina. Bush Mountain or whatever it's called. Australia is a much better choice."

Logan rolled his eyes. "Tree Hill."

"Excuse me?"

"It's not Bush Mountain, it is Tree Hill."

"Big deal." Colin was sounding more agitated by the second.

"So we'll get there when she does?"

"Yes, Logan. But I don't understand why she just doesn't go with us."

"Neither do I, which is why we're following her there. I want to know what's going on exactly. You would do the same in my position." He defended, feeling completely just in his decision. _'After all, it is MY girlfriend spending her summer alone with another guy.'_

"I wouldn't be in your position. I would just kidnap her to Australia."

Logan snorted at that. "Yeah, and have Lorelai call the FBI, CIA, and Luke on me? I don't think so." He shuddered at the thought of the elder Gilmore Girl's wrath. Lorelai was not a person one wanted to be on the bad side of. He knew that from experience.

"Ah, yes, the crazy mother. You do have a point."

"I need to go now. Just make sure everything is taken care of." Logan finished saying, and hung up, grabbing the breakfast and making his way back to Rory's. Everything needed to go ok.

He needed to see for himself exactly what the relationship was between this Lucas and Ace. He needed to know where he stood. They had enough problems in their relationship lately, with his family and her mom. If something started to happen between them this summer, he would be there to stop it.

-OTH-GG-

Rory was showered and dressed by the time Logan came back. She was also waiting very impatiently for her coffee. She could either deal with a snippy Lucas, or she could be caffeine deprived. Both at the same time was a somewhat deadly combination.

As soon as Logan entered the room, she grabbed one of the coffees, drinking quickly. She closed her eyes as the caffeine entered her system. _'Better, much, much better.'_

Logan stood and watched her, clearly amused. He loved seeing her take her first drink of coffee every morning. That in itself was always an experience. The way her face would light up and the tension would ease away.

She opened her eyes a few seconds later, and sat on the couch, as he joined her, handing her some food.

She looked over at him, deeply in thought.

"What?" He asked, grabbing a bagel.

"So you talked to Lucas last night?" She asked, biting her lip, unsure how to approach this topic.

He nodded.

"What did he say?"

"For you to call him." Logan said, shrugging, watching her face closely.

She frowned. "Did he seem upset?"

Logan shook his head. "I really wouldn't know how he sounds when he's upset. What's with the questioning?"

"He seemed kinda out of it this morning. I was just wondering what's wrong with him. Oh well, I'll just pull the info out of him when I get there." With that, she ended the conversation, taking a big bite of her Sausage & pancake on a stick.

-OTH-GG-

On the other side of campus, Colin sat in his favorite chair, still reading the financial section.

He shook his head. Logan was in deep with Rory. And if he didn't watch it, he was going to screw up and lose her. He knew that no good could come of following her down to Nowhere, USA. He just hoped Logan wouldn't try to do anything stupid, like break up her friendship with this Lucas guy. He had a feeling Rory wouldn't take to kindly to that. _'I hope Logan knows what he's doing…'_


	4. Oblivious

AN: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! The long AN is at my blog!

Chapter 4

It was the day everyone had been anxiously awaiting. Lucas was trying to keep busy. Rory was double checking all her luggage. Logan was being teased mercilessly by Colin and Finn. Little did they all know the events the summer would hold for them all. None of them had any idea of the changes that were to take place…

-GG-OTH-

"Don't forget to call Mommy every day!" Lorelai pouted, wrapping her arms around Rory once again.

"Mom! I've been away for the whole summer before. In fact, I've been away all summer every year." Rory said, rolling her eyes.

"I know." Lorelai put on a sad face at this and nodded. "You're such a bad, bad child for leaving your Mommy all alone for the whole summer. But it's ok. I'll forgive you. After all, who else would I leave my dirty pasta to in my will?"

Rory groaned, shaking her head. Her mother could be so dramatic.

"Well, I suppose there is a bright side to this." Lorelai said, a devilish grin forming on her face.

"That would be…?"

"You're going to be spending the entire summer with my hopefully future son-in-law. Logan free at that!" Lorelai had never made it a secret that she loved Lucas. If she had to pick the perfect man for Rory, he would certainly be it. She made her adoration for Lucas very well known; she made her hatred for Logan even more known.

"Mother!"

"Daughter!"

Rory rolled her eyes, annoyed. "Lucas and I are friends. Best friends. That's it. As for Logan, he is my boyfriend. You really need to get over your issues with Logan."

"Please! You two are so oblivious!"

Rory had to actually laugh at this. "You're calling Lucas and I oblivious? Well, isn't this the pot calling the kettle black!"

Lorelai narrowed her eyes. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Umm… gee, let's think. A certain backwards baseball cap wearing, coffee making diner owner we all know and love!"

"Luke and I are best friends!" Lorelai defended.

Rory smirked. "That's exactly what Lucas and I are. Best friends. And Logan's my boyfriend. Once again mom, get used to it!"

"There's a simple solution to this whole argument." Lorelai stated matter-of-factly.

"Once again- that would be…?"

"Dump Logan and do Lucas." At this she clapped her hands, thrilled with her plan.

Rory was about to respond when her flight was announced.

"I won't even dignify that with a response. I love you, bye Mom."

"Bye honey. I love you. Don't forget Mommy. Buy me lots of pretty things. Take lots of pictures of all the hot young North Carolina basket ball playing boys for me!" Lorelai said, hugging Rory one last time before she watched her daughter board a flight just as she did every year at this time.

She wasn't able resist one last parting call as Rory walked away. "Don't forget to kiss Lucas for me! Feel free to add some tongue!" She shook her head as she caught the last glimpse of her daughter for the next three months. _'Maybe she'll finally realize Lucas has been right there all along. The perfect man for her was right in front of her face, and she was is too blinded by friendship to see it. I swear, the girl must get the obliviousness from Christopher…'_

-GG-OTH-

Logan paced the plane, awaiting take off. He still didn't know how he was going to handle Rory once he actually got there. He knew she wouldn't be thrilled that he decided to crash her vacation, but he had to do this.

"Mate, either sit down or I'll bloody tie you down!" Came the annoyed Australian voice.

"I don't have a plan yet!" Logan exclaimed, gesturing wildly with his hands.

"Well, maybe you should have thought about that before boarding us on your jet to Hickville, NC." Colin said sarcastically, still pissed off that his summer plans had been changed.

-GG-OTH-

Nathan looked over at his brother, who was driving to the airport. He shook his head, holding in a laugh. Lucas had been in "go" mode all morning. He was obviously more than ready for Rory to be here.

He had the privilege of spending summers with the two often. Dan was their father, and while Nathan lived with him year-round when they were younger, Lucas lived with his mother in North Carolina most of the year. For the most part, they only saw each other in the summers. For many years, Lucas and Nathan didn't get along, so the summers would be strained. That was when Rory was also in town, visiting her father. It was always interesting. He had never had a friend he was as close to as Lucas was to Rory. They talked to each other all the time, about everything.

These days, Nathan and Lucas were much closer. Things got resolved over the years, and they became not only brothers, but also friends.

He had witnessed girlfriends of Lucas's get jealous of Rory, and try to come between the two. It never worked. Lucas made it clear to every girl he dated that Rory came before anyone else in his life.

To be honest, Nathan was just as anxious as Lucas was for Rory to get here, though for different reasons. Tree Hill was not a busy place like Boston. But with Rory and Lucas there, things would definitely be interesting. _'Yes, things will certainly be interesting…'_

-GG-OTH-

Rory leaned her head back against the seat, relaxing. She would be landing soon. She could hardly wait! All year long she had to wait and bide her time until she got out of school for the year. That was when she was able to be free. She was the most carefree, relaxed, and comfortable around Lucas. He brought out every side of her. He made her open up, without even really trying to.

While Logan was able to talk her into stretching her boundaries and expanding her horizons, Lucas was her partner in crime. He was the one who she plotted and schemed with. There was no convincing needed. They went in their summers completely together. What one did, the other did. No questions asked.

Rory continued to think about her relationship with her best friend, and the relationship with her boyfriend. She cared about Logan. She really did. Still, Rory had to admit to herself that she was glad to be away from him for the summer. He had a tendency to become jealous when she was hanging out with her guy friends. This summer, she would have time to think, clear her head, and make decisions. She needed to decide where their relationship really stood, and how solid it was.

His family hated her. More specifically, they hated that she wanted a career. Her mother hated his social status. She knew if she stayed with Logan, it would continue to cause many more arguments with her mother. _'At least I'll have plenty of space to figure things out before I return to Yale…'_


	5. The airport

AN: Thanks for all the reviews! Let me know what you think.

Chapter 5

-OTH-GG-

Lucas glared at the monitor. Lucas glared at his watch. Lucas glared at Nathan.

Nathan started laughing. "Bro, chill! It's just a delay. Happens all the time!"

"Not when my best friend is on the plane, supposedly arriving already!"

Nathan rolled his eyes and fought the urge to laugh again. Lucas was pathetic.

Lucas started to open say something, but a distraction hindered him from saying a word. He turned around to watch the scene a group of young rich men were causing. He wasn't sure what was happening, but watched in amusement as airport security made haste to settle the situation.

"Bloody hell! Get your paws off me, you rent-a-copper! I look much better in uniform I have you know!" A half naked, heavily accented Australian voice slurred.

Two other guys stood off to the side of their friend, apparently trying to shut him up. They tried to get him to put his shirt back on and pleaded with him to button his pants so they could leave the airport without dealing with security. The drunk Australian whipped his head to face the shorter blonde.

"Mate! This is all your damned fault! You made us come here, when we could be sitting in a pub in my Motherland right now!" He hissed at the blonde.

Lucas turned back to Nathan, and they just looked at each other before laughing.

"Wow, some people really are out there."

Nathan simply nodded in agreement, watching in amusement as the drunk Australian was dragged off to go to the security office, his friends following.

-OTH-GG-

It was a good twenty three minutes later when Rory's plane finally landed. She waited impatiently as the other passengers slowly made their way off the plane, until finally it was her turn. Hoisting her carry on over her shoulder, she followed the crowd into the airport.

Her eyes quickly scanned the area. _'Where is he?'_ She was just starting to worry that maybe she had given him incorrect information when she spotted him in the crowd.

"LUCAS!" She yelled, running up to him.

"ROR!" He picked her up and spun her around in his arms, holding her close to him. As he set her back down, he kept her close. "God, I've missed you. This whole going to separate college's thing was a dumb idea." He mumbled, breathing in the smell of sweet strawberries as he buried his face in her hair.

"You say that every year. I missed you too. But at least we have the entire summer." She said, her arms still around him, her head lying on his shoulder. They simply stood there holding each other for a moment, getting used to being in the others presence again.

"Sorry to break up this happy little reunion, but I wanted a hug, too!" Came a voice, breaking the moment.

Rory looked up, grinning. "Nate! I had no idea you were here!" She hugged him quickly, and the turned to look at Lucas. "Why didn't you tell me he was here? Is he staying the whole summer?"

She looked at Nathan, excitement on her face.

"Yes, I'm staying here. For a while at least."

"This is going to be the best summer! Just like old times!" She announced, grabbing their arms and leading them to the luggage pick up area. "I need my bags, and then I need coffee!"

Lucas laughed. "Yes Princess, just like old times."

-OTH-GG-

A few minutes earlier, the Limo Boys were released from security. Finn was now slightly more sober, and fully dressed.

Their wallets were all several hundred dollars lighter, as they had bribed their way out of the situation.

"What time does her plane come in?" Colin asked, looking over to Logan, who stood on the other side of Finn. Neither boy was willing to let Finn escape and go off on his own. They were keeping a very close eye on him.

Colin shook his head at Finn. _'Perhaps we could procure a leash, and possibly a muzzle. Hmm… maybe a portable cage like the ones for lions and tigers- no, he would simply do a cage dance.'_

"It was supposed to be here a half hour ago, but I guess it got delayed. I asked someone about it as I was forking over four hundred bucks. So it should actually be getting in now." Logan answered, leading the other two to the area Rory was to be arriving, and glaring at Finn.

They stood off to the side, waiting. Logan still wasn't sure how he was going to explain his presence there to Rory. He just hoped she wasn't too mad. All thoughts of her reaction to him being there soon fled his mind, as he watched the scene in front of him unfold.

"LUCAS!" Rory screamed, as she broke a cardinal Gilmore Girl rule. She **_ran_**!

"ROR!" A blonde guy around their age yelled back, as he picked her up off her feet, spinning her around. Once he set her back down, he still didn't let go.

Logan watched in shock as they continued to hold each other, sharing an intimate embrace. He was just about to go break their reunion up as another guy walked up to the couple.

The guy said something to get their attention, and Logan saw Rory's face brighten as a huge smile took over her features. She hugged this guy, too, just not as intimately as she hugged the blonde.

Logan's jaw was dropped as he finally turned away from the scene to look at his two friends. They looked back at him in surprise.

"Well, I don't think you'll hear any more complaining from us about coming here to stalk reporter girl. You have our full support this summer." Colin said, trying to make his best friend feel better.

Finn merely nodded. "Yea mate, we'll see to it that this guy is history by the end of the summer."

Logan was speechless. He was just glad he came to North Carolina. Even if nothing was going on with Lucas and Rory now, there was obviously more than just friendship there.

"Come on; let's get a car so we can go to Tree Hill. We need to come up with a plan." Logan finally said, shaking his head as he watched his girlfriend walk off, dragging two guys with her.


	6. What are you doing here?

AN: This hasn't been edited. I haven't had the time to edit it, so if something's wrong with it, please let me know, and I'll change it when I have the chance! Thank you guys for all the wonderful reviews! I appreciate them!

* * *

Chapter 6

Rory rubbed the back of her neck with her hand, moving her head around a bit to relax it. The ride from the airport to Tree Hill would take about forty minutes, so she decided to get comfortable.

"You know, this is really cool. Unexpected, but cool." She began, as she yawned.

The guys glanced at her. "What's cool?" Nathan asked.

"The fact that you're here. When we were younger you were always around in the summers. Granted, you and Lucas didn't get along until we were older, but still… it'll be like old times." She smiled, thinking back to all the fun they had as children.

"So, what do you want to do this summer?" Nathan asked her from his spot in the backseat.

She thought about this. "I mainly just want to breathe. I'm being really crowded at home."

Lucas took his eyes off the road to glance over at her. "How so?"

Rory took a deep breather, contemplating the way her life had been lately. "Well, you know how rocky things have been with Logan lately. Add my mother in the mix, a dab of my grandparents, a sprinkle of my dad, and you have a recipe for a nervous break down." As she said this, she leaned her head against the headrest, closing her eyes and sighing. "It's just nice to get away from it all for a while."

Nathan and Lucas met each other's gaze in the rear view mirror, sharing concerned expressions for their friend.

"You have all the space you need this summer, Ror." Lucas told her, squeezing her hand in an attempt to reassure her.

A heavy silence surrounded the car. Nathan decided it was time to lighten the mood.

"Oh, hey, there was an incident in the airport before you arrived." He told her, laughing as he remembered the three guys that caused a scene.

"What happened?" Rory asked Nathan, turning in her seat to face him.

Lucas began to laugh, knowing what his brother was talking about.

Nathan started to tell her, "We were waiting for you, and we hear a commotion going on, so we watch. There's this half naked guy getting dragged away by security."

Rory nodded. "Unfortunately, I'm used to that sort of thing. I've told you about him before. The Passion of the Christ guy- remember? Anyway, if you think the airport guy was a mess, try dealing with a drunken Australian. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love and adore Finn, but still I needed a break for the summer!"

At the words "drunken" and "Australian", Nathan and Lucas both stopped laughing.

"Drunk?" Nathan asked, raising an eyebrow. _'Interesting…'_

"Australian?" Lucas questioned, glancing over at Rory as he signaled to move into the exit lane. He had completely forgotten about her tales of Logan's colorful friend until now. '_No, there's no way. It's obviously a coincidence. A strange coincidence.'_

She laughed. "Yeah, Finn is quite the character. He's an original, that's for sure. He's always drunk, and Logan, Colin, and I have problems keeping him dressed."

"Huh." Nathan said, sitting back in his seat. _'He wouldn't… would he? If he did, then things will be even more interesting this summer.'_

"What?" Rory asked as she turned around again to look at him.

Lucas and Nathan were both silent for a moment.

"Ror…" Lucas tentatively began, "You told me Logan wasn't thrilled about this trip. How not thrilled was he?"

Rory gave him an odd look. "What do you mean?"

"The guy in the airport, the one without his clothes, he was drunk." Lucas informed her. _'It's probably not the same guy. After all, following her to Tree Hill is just… obsessive.'_

Rory froze. "Lot's of people drink. It's not as if he had an Australian accent. Even then, I wouldn't think anything of it unless a blonde guy and a brunette guy were there trying to get him to act normal." She shook her head. _'Logan wouldn't try to follow me for the summer. He knows he has nothing to worry about. Doesn't he?'_

-OTH-GG-

The limo boys were unpacking their belongings. When Colin realized Logan intended for them to stay in Tree Hill for the entire summer, he rented a home rather than reserving hotel rooms. He knew that Finn would have them kicked out of any hotels in the area within days.

"Where's the bar?" Finn cried, looking around desperately.

Logan rolled his eyes. "There isn't one here."

Finn placed his hand over his chest. "Mate, help me! I'm having a heart attack! Please, tell me my ears deceive me."

"Don't worry; you can set up your own bar in the kitchen." Colin assured him, pointing to the island in the kitchen.

Finn looked over at the island a few times, and then nodded. "Alright then, let's get supplies!"

-GG-OTH-

Rory stepped out of the bathroom, feeling completely refreshed after a nice warm shower.

"So what are we going to do?" She asked as she sat down on the couch between Nathan and Lucas.

"You hungry?" Lucas asked her, swinging his arm over her shoulders in a familiar gesture.

"Always." She grinned, leaning against him.

"Karen's?" Nathan asked, also hungry at this point.

Rory nodded. She had met Karen several times. She had been to Tree Hill before with Lucas, and his mom was always very sweet. She really made up for Lucas' dad being such a jerk to him.

They walked the short distance to Karen's and sat down, waiting for her to come over.

"Rory!" She exclaimed, hurrying to give the girl a hug.

"Hey Karen!"

"How's Yale? Your mom? Life?"

Rory laughed. "Everything is good. Mom wanted me to tell you hi."

Once over spring break when they Lucas and Rory were teenagers Rory and Lorelai came down to Tree Hill. Karen and Lorelai had become fast friends.

"Tell her to call me and we'll catch up. Now what do you guys want to eat?"

They ordered and Rory sipped her coffee, laughing with Lucas and Nathan as they told her what was going on in their lives lately.

Nathan got up to use the restroom, and Lucas leaned over. "You know, he's going to be following us everywhere this summer."

She shot him a curious glance. "And that's unusual how?"

He grinned. "What do you say we set him up?"

Rory's eyes widened. "With who?"

"Haley."

Rory considered this a moment. "That's perfect!" She met Haley a few times over the years. The girls got along wonderfully, and even emailed each other occasionally.

"What's perfect?" Nathan asked as he arrived back at the table.

"The coffee. Yummy! Perfect! Excellent!" Rory grinned, taking a large drink of her coffee to prove her point.

Nathan just looked at her oddly and nodded.

-GG-OTH-

"I'm hungry!" Finn exclaimed, pointing to a café across the street. "Come on, food!"

Colin and Finn followed him, shaking their heads.

The three boys walked inside, not realizing who was sitting at a table eating.

Rory looked up from her food.

"Logan? What are you guys doing here?"


	7. Confrontations

AN: Thanks for all the reviews! I'll put a longer AN up at my blog today. Let me know what you think!

* * *

Chapter 7 

"Hey Ace." Logan smiled, inwardly trying to decide how to play this hand.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him again, standing up and folding her arms in front of herself.

"I came to surprise you. Since you couldn't spend the summer with us in Australia, I figured we would come to see you here, in Tree Hill." Logan lied, hoping she would believe it. _'After all, it isn't a complete lie. Seeing me must be a surprise to her, and she wouldn't go to Australia. No, it's not a lie… I'm just not telling her my true intentions.'_

Rory glared at him. "Outside. Now." She grabbed his arm and he followed her outside.

Once they were outside on the sidewalk she dropped his arm.

"How dare you?" She seethed.

"What?"

"How dare you? What part of my summers with Lucas being special to me don't you seem to understand?" At the moment she was beyond angry. She truly wasn't sure how to respond.

Logan clenched his fist and had to control himself to stop from screaming. "He's just a friend, Rory, I'm your boyfriend. Doesn't that count for anything?"

Rory stared at him in shock. All niceties were thrown out with his words_, 'he's just a friend.'_

She tried to control her breathing. Narrowing her eyes she stuck her finger out at him, poking him in the chest. "Get. This. Strait. He is my best friend. The best friend I've ever had. He means more to me than any boyfriend ever will. I've broken up with guys before because they couldn't handle my relationship with Lucas. I am not afraid to do it again. If you want to keep being a jealous ass, then you will lose me. Got it?" She gritted out, her voice becoming slightly louder with each word spoken until she was almost screaming.

Logan's jaw had stopped in the midst of her rant. "You would seriously break up with me for him?"

"YES! And I wouldn't even think twice about it! Now go home!" With that, she started to move back into the café.

Logan quickly grabbed her arm and stopped her from leaving him alone on the sidewalk. "Look, this isn't fair of you!"

Rory stood there, looking at him in shock. "Not fair of me? God! I told you I wanted to spend the summer with Lucas. Not everything is about you. I am so sick of your spoiled rich boy attitude. You think everything in the world is owed to you just because you're going to be a rich and famous journalist. I'm sick of it!" She yelled at him, letting pent up emotions out. Things had gone unsaid for way to long.

Logan knew as he was being yelled at that unless he did something quick, he was going to lose her for good. "Ace, wait! Look, I feel I have reason to be the way I am. You're going to be a great journalist someday, too. Now I'm sorry if my being here bother's you. But I don't want to leave. I just want to spend a little time with you this summer." He pleaded, looking her in the eyes.

She sighed. She really, really wanted time alone with Lucas, but she knew Logan would interfere, yet she was sick of arguing with him. "Logan, this is the only uninterrupted time I get with Lucas each year."

"I won't interfere. I promise. Please, what do you say?"

"You promise you won't interfere?" She asked dubiously, not sure if she should really trust him._ 'Perhaps this is a way to test him. If he doesn't interfere then I can trust him…'_

"Cross my heart, but if you don't mind, I'd rather not die, or stick anything in my eye." He teased, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. He knew he had her okay for now.

"Fine. But if you get in the way I'm sending you packing." She warned him they walked back inside.

"Don't worry. It won't happen." He promised, kissing her lightly.

He sighed with relief as they walked back inside. Everything would be okay now. He would be there for the summer with Rory and Lucas, and if anything started to happed, he would put a stop to it. He wasn't going to lose her. Not to her mother or his parent's, and certainly not to this Lucas guy. _'It'll be ok now…'_

-GG-

From across the street two girls watched the scene unfold in interest.

"Oh! I didn't know Rory was here!" Brooke said, turning to Peyton.

"Yeah, but who's he? He's hot."

They watched as Rory and the guy argued, and then seemed to come to a resolution. Their eyes widened as they saw the guy wrap his arm around her, and then kiss her.

"Lucas isn't gonna like this…" Brooke mused aloud.

"I wonder how long he's going to be here?"

"If it's for this summer, then it will make things much more interesting." Brooke said, pulling Peyton along. "Come on; let's go see what's happening!"

-GG-

Inside the café the table was silent as they watched the couple on the sidewalk duke it out.

"So what are you guys doing here?" Nathan asked Colin and Finn, finally breaking the silence.

Colin spoke up. "Logan cares a great deal for Rory. He wanted to spend time with her this summer."

Lucas glared. "Summer's are my and Rory's time together. Everyone knows that."

Finn shrugged. "Things change."

The guys were silent again, watching out the window. As Logan wrapped his arm around Rory and then kissed her, Lucas clenched his jaw. This didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the guys.

Colin and Finn shared a glance, and nodded slightly. The came to a silent agreement that it was for the best that they stayed here for the summer, whether it wrecked their plans or not. If the scene at the airport hadn't been evidence enough, then the look on Lucas' face clearly showed that more was going on with Rory and Lucas than they let on. Whether they both realized it yet or not.

-GG-

Rory walked over to the table where the guys were sitting, with Logan following closely behind her.

"Lucas, can I talk to you?" She asked him, motioning outside.

He nodded and stood up, following her, but not before giving Logan a death glare.

"What's going on Ror?" He asked once they were outside.

She sighed, looking up at him. "Well, Logan wants to spend time together this summer, too… and he's going to be staying here."

Lucas stared at her_. 'Did she just say? No… of course she didn't. She knows how much summers mean to me. To both of us. She wouldn't- would she?'_ Taking a deep breath, he shook his head. "What? But summers are just for us. They always have been. No matter who we were dating."

Rory bit her lip. "I know, but he's already here. And he promised he won't interfere. He won't! I won't let him. If he starts to interfere or cause problems for us, then I'll send him away. I promise. I already told him that. This doesn't change anything."

Lucas shrugged. "As long as he doesn't interfere." Was all he said. Inside, a thousand thoughts were running rampant. He knew the other guy would do or say something to interfere. He just couldn't believe Rory was allowing it. _'This changes more than she knows…'_

"Look, I'm not really hungry anymore." He told her, glancing inside. "I think I'm going to head back to the house." He dropped a quick kiss to her forehead and quickly walked away.

"Lucas, wait!" She yelled, watching as he hurried away. She felt so conflicted. She didn't want to lose her best friend.

She was about to walk into the café when Brooke and Peyton came up to her.

"Hey Rory!" Peyton said, giving her a hug.

"We didn't know you were here for the summer." Brooke said, also giving her a hug.

"Yeah." Rory replied, shrugging.

"What's wrong?" Brooke asked her, concerned.

Rory looked inside at the guys watching with interest. "Can we get out of here? I'll tell you everything; I just don't want to be around them right now."

"Come on, let's go." Peyton told her as she wrapped an arm around Rory's shoulders and led her away from the café, leaving the limo boys and Nathan alone inside of Karen's.


	8. Midnight Traditions

AN: Thanks for the reviews everyone! I tried posting a long AN (I actually wrote out a reply to everyone who reviewed last chapter) but my blog won't let me post! I'll keep trying though.

* * *

Chapter 8 

Late that night Rory crept into the house with the key Lucas gave her. She had spent a large part of the day with Brooke and Peyton. They had discussed Logan and Lucas and this summer, and shehad decidedthat Lucas just wasn't ready for things to change. After all, if he had invited a girlfriend along on their summer, she would be jealous. They were just used to being alone during the summers. It was their time alone.

She went to the room she was staying in and changed into some light pajama bottoms and a tank top. Quietly, she tip-toed over to Lucas' room, gently opening the door. She looked over at him, lying asleep, outline by the moonlight and smiled softly.

-GG-

Lucas had heard Rory when she came in the house. How could he not? While she tried, she never was light- footed enough to be quiet. When he heard her bedroom door shut, he assumed she was going to bed for the night. He continued to lay on his bed unable to sleep. He felt like an ass for walking away from her earlier. Sure, he hated the fact that Logan was there for the summer, but still, he shouldn't have taken it out on her.

He was lost in his thoughts when she walked in his room. He smiled. He thought she would be pissed off at him. Over the years, anytime one of them was upset, they would creep into the other's room in the dead of night, and go to sleep. It was just their way of being there for each other. It was a tradition of sorts.When she lay down beside him he shifted slightly to open his arms.

"Hey you." She whispered, cuddling into his arms, laying her head on his chest.

"Hey. I'm sorry." He whispered back, pulling the blanket up over them.

"Me too. Go to sleep." She said burrowing into his warmth as he put his arms back around her.

Lucas looked down at her and placed a kiss on the top of her head, lingering slightly. "Night." He whispered, finally able to drift to sleep.

-GG-

The next morning Lucas woke up with a weight on top of him. He looked down and saw Rory, and smiled. Over the course of the night she had spread out on top of him, almost completely covering him. She always did like to hog the bed.

Rather than getting up and taking a run like he usually would, he relaxed, enjoying the feeling of having her lying on top of him, cuddling in his arms. He bent his head to plant a kiss in her hair, enjoying the familiar strawberry scent. He smiled as she shifted slightly, burrowing her head into his chest. He couldn't remember the last time he slept so well. He never wanted to let her go.

Lucas knew he needed to get a grip. She was his best friend. He didn't need to be feeling these things for her- especially not when her boyfriend was staying there for the summer. He wanted to vow to himself not to think of her as anything other than his best friend, but he knew he couldn't. He had been feeling things for her for a while now… and those feelings, they just grew and grew.

He hadn't even realized it until he called her and Logan answered the phone. The unmistakable pain stabbing through his stomach had brought realization upon realization down. He was jealous. He was completely, totally, irrationally jealous that Logan had Rory.

Now, he was stuck denying his feelings and just acting natural for the rest of the summer. He knew it wouldn't be easy. Lucas knew he would see Rory and Logan together, and it would rip him apart. Despite that, he knew he had to hide his feelings. If anyone ever realized how he felt about her- how he was going crazy for his best friend- it would ruin everything. But it would be okay. While it wouldn't be easy, it shouldn't be too tough. After all, it wasn't like he was in love with her, right?

While Lucas was thinking over his feelings for Rory, she woke up. She opened her blue eyes, and was met with a pair of equally blue ones.

"Morning." She yawned, her voice laced with sleep, as she rubbed her face against his chest, much like a kitten.

Lucas watched her and couldn't help but laugh. At his laugh, Rory tensed, realized where she was and what position she was in. Her cheeks tinted pink and she began to pull away, but was stopped by his arms tightening around her.

"Morning." He whispered, watching her, amused.

"I need coffee." She pouted, trying again to move away. In the process, she rubbed her body against his, not realizing how it was effecting him.

"Fine, fine. We'll get you your fix, junkie." He teased, attempting to keep his tone light, as he let her go before she realized what she was doing to him.

"I'll get it." She said, standing up.

He nodded. "While you're doing that, I'm gonna take a shower. Save a cup of coffee for me."

"Yeah, right. Like that's going to happen." She said, heading out of the room.

"I'd better make it a cold shower." He muttered, shaking his head. They were only mere days into summer, and already she was driving him crazy. But the end of summer, she was going to kill him.

* * *

Well, there you have it. Iam sorryfor the length.This was much shorter than I wanted, but is down for maintenance later, and I promised you guys a new chapter every Tuesday, so it was either post this or wait until tomorrow. It was pretty much just fluff, but I thought you'd like the Lucas & Rory interaction. Let me know what you think, and suggestions are always welcomed! 


	9. Party?

**AN:** Thank you guys all so much for the reviews! I'm sorry for the delay. I had to deal with a family emergency and a lot of school things. The next chapter should be up Tuesday.

* * *

Chapter 9 

"Well, how do you want to go about setting him and Haley up?" Lucas asked Rory.

It was an hour later, and they were both much more alert and fed. They wanted to plan how to set up Nathan and Haley for the summer. After little deliberation, they decided that they would, in fact, make a cute couple.

"Well…" Rory started, "I'm really not sure."

"Yeah, me neither." Lucas shrugged, standing up and pulling Rory to her feet. "Come on, let's get out of here and do something. We'll figure it out later."

She followed him out of the house and walked around with him for a while. His arm was around her waist and her head was on his shoulder.

"I've got it!" She said, stopping suddenly.

"What?"

Rory rolled her eyes. "The idea. How to get Haley and Nathan together? A party!"

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "What kind of a party?"

Rory shrugged. "It doesn't matter. We'll tell them both we want to throw a party, and we'll pretend to be busy with something, so we'll have them plan it."

Lucas thought about it for a minute as they continued to walk. "That's actually a pretty good idea."

"I know. I'm just great like that." She teased, grabbing his hand and pulling him along.

-GG-OTH-

It was later that afternoon and Rory and Lucas were just returning from their stroll. They had stopped at a few shops here and there and then went to the library where Rory made good use of Lucas' credit card.

"Nathan, hey!" Rory said, smiling as they entered the house to find Nathan sitting on the couch playing video games.

"What's up?" He greeted, not taking his eyes off the screen.

'_Now?' _Rory questioned, mouthing the question to Lucas.

'_Why not?' _He shrugged in response, as they sat on the couch by his brother.

"So Nate, do you have any plans for the next few nights? Are you busy doing anything?" Rory questioned, knowing full well that the answer was no.

"Not really." Nathan replied, still pressing buttons on the controller as he shot at something.

"That's great!" Rory replied, trying not to laugh at his expression of concentration at the game. "So… I don't suppose you'd mind helping us plan a party then, would you?"

Nathan hit the pause button on the controller and looked at her. "Party?"

She nodded, smiling. "Yep. Party. Lucas and I wanted to throw one, but we both have a lot going on, so we thought that we could get you and another friend to help. You want to help?"

He shrugged, looking back and forth between the two. Rory had never been a good liar, and had a guilty expression on her face. But still, he couldn't see the harm in helping throw one little party. "Sure, why not." He replied, hitting the pause button once again and continuing to play his game.

Lucas and Rory hurried out of the house and to the café to plot.

-GG-OTH-

"Can you believe she had the audacity to tell me she would send me back to Hartford if I interfered?" Logan ranted, pacing around the room.

He hated not knowing where Rory was. It was killing him. All he knew was that she was staying the night- all the nights- with Lucas. His girlfriend should be in his arms at night, under his roof; she most certainly should not be having sleepovers with some other guy.

Colin rolled his eyes. "You brought this on yourself by coming here. You knew it would piss her off, but you did it anyway. Now deal with it." He turned back to his _Financial Times_, hoping Logan would leave him to read about the future trends of the stock market.

Logan's jaw dropped. He could hardly believe one of his best friends had just said that to him! "I thought you were going to support me in this." He accused, glaring.

Colin sighed, placing his magazine down beside him. He knew trying to read it while Logan was in a mood like this was a futile effort. "I am, I do. Look, I'll help you, but you need to do something other than just complaining."

Logan nodded. "Yeah, yeah, you're right. I do."

With that, he left the house. He was going to do whatever it took to make sure Rory stayed his.

-GG-OTH-

"So, we'll divide up the lists? You and I will take one, and Haley and Nathan will take the other one?" Rory questioned as she picked up a french fri to munch on.

Lucas nodded, taking a bite of his cheese burger and placing it back down, pointing at the lists. "Make sure you send them on all the out of town errands. Keep them alone together as long as possible."

Rory nodded. "Yeah, you're right. If this is going to work, then they need plenty of alone time." She smiled, eating another fri. "Besides, the longer they are alone together, the less time Nate has to follow us around. Which means-"

"More alone time for us!" Lucas finished, smiling.

"Exactly! I am so glad we're here for the summer. It's so much nicer than going to Boston. I seriously doubt I could handle another summer with my father." She shook her head, pausing to take a drink.

"What's wrong? Is he being more of a jerk than usual?" Lucas questioned, pushing his plate aside and concentrating solely on the girl in front of him.

Rory shrugged. "It's just his usual stuff. Trying to be in control of everything… it's just, he's being him, you know?"

"Yeah, I do."

And she knew he did. She knew he understood all too well what she was going through. After all, he went through the same things with Dan every time he went back to Boston. Thankfully for both of them their summers with their fathers ended once they turned eighteen.

"Come on, let's get out of here and do something fun." Lucas suggested, wanting to lighten the mood.

-GG-OTH-

Logan walked around for a while, before stumbling across a park. He sat at a bench and looked around, before spotting something that made him feel even worse.

"Higher!" Rory giggled as Lucas pushed her on the swing. She continued laughing even once he stopped the swing.

Lucas stood in front of her and held out a hand to her as she stood up. Taking it, she smiled up at him, before wrapping her arms around him in a huge hug.

"I'm so glad I came here. I missed you." Rory said, still holding him.

"I'm glad you're here too." Lucas told her, holding onto her just as tightly as she held him.

Logan watched the scene and his shoulders slumped slightly. Standing up he quietly walked away. He didn't want to lose her, but he knew he had to figure out some way to keep her. He now knew it wouldn't be easy. He saw the look in her eyes; whether she realized it or not, Rory was falling for her best friend.


	10. Grocery Stores and Cuddles

AN: Thank you all so much for the reviews! I appreciate them so much! Anyways, a longer AN is on my blog, replying to reviews & answering questions. Let me know what you think!

* * *

Nathan glanced over at the attractive brunette sitting next to him as he drove. They were on their way to get some items for the party. 

"You do realize that we were totally set up, right?" He asked her, watching in amusement as she nodded.

"Yeah, I kind of realized it the second they begged me to work with you. Neither one of them can lie at all." Haley said, smiling.

"Sorry you got stuck doing this with me. I think they just want time alone this summer, without me tagging along."

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm enjoying the company. What do you say we stop for lunch?" She asked him, squeezing his hand lightly.

-GG-OTH-

"Pick up, pick up, pick up." Logan muttered into his cell as he once again got Rory's voicemail.

"No luck, Mate?" Finn questioned, watching as Logan paced.

"Where the hell is she?" Logan asked, having not seen Rory in the past few days. It had been four days since he saw Lucas and Rory at the park, and he hadn't heard from Rory at all.

"Come on, let's find something to do. You'll go crazier than you already are if you stay cooped up here."

"For once Finn is right." Colin agreed, grabbing his wallet.

-GG-OTH-

Rory hit the side button on her cell to make it stop ringing.

"He's still calling?" Lucas questioned her. He had noticed her glance at the caller ID and refuse to answer it all day. Logan had been calling non stop for the past two days.

She nodded. "He's doing the whole possessive jealous thing. You know how much I hate it when guys do that."

"I told you he would ruin your summer." Lucas pointed out.

Rory sighed. "Stop it! Please. He's not ruining my summer. And besides, I can't force him onto a plane, can I?"

"Sorry… you're right. I just hate it that he's bothering you."

"I know you do, but still. Just, get over it. Please." She asked him, turning around to wrap her arms around his neck.

Lucas wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him. He placed his head on her shoulder, breathing in her scent. "I will… I will. I'm allowed to pout a little though."

She grinned in response. "I would expect no less. Now, what food do we need to get?" She asked him, grabbing a cart.

They were at the grocery store, picking up food for the party. They were having a beach party with a bonfire the next night, and decided to stock up the day before, so they weren't running around at the last minute.

"Well, Haley and Nathan are handling all the drinks." Lucas informed her, walking beside her as she pushed the cart.

Rory nodded, placing items in the cart as they went along. She couldn't help but think about what Lucas said. Was Logan really going to ruin her summer? She had intended to use this summer to figure out their relationship. She wanted space. Now, Logan was here. She had been ignoring his calls, but she wasn't sure how long that would work. Tree Hill wasn't very big, he could easily find her.

"Whatcha thinking?" Lucas asked, standing behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist, setting his chin on the top of her head.

Rory leaned back into his embrace, enjoying the comfort his arms always leant her. "Logan." She answered, biting her lips as she looked at the selection of chips.

Lucas stiffened. "Oh. And?"

Rory sighed. "Should I call him?" She walked over to grab several bags of chips, placing them in the cart. "I mean, God, I don't even know what I mean anymore. I'm just so confused."

Lucas shrugged. "I can't answer that for you. I can't tell you what to do. Just, make the right choice for you, ok?"

Lucas continued to follow her around the store, placing snacks in the cart. He wanted her to tell Logan to go home. He wanted her to send him away, so he could have her all to himself. Sure, Logan hadn't physically taken up Rory's time since he arrived, but that didn't mean he wasn't taking something away from them this summer. Rory's thoughts were often on Logan. In the past, she would think of nothing but Lucas.

He knew he fell in love with his best friend, and all he could do was stand back and watch her agonize over her relationship with another man. It was silently killing him.

-GG-OTH-

At the liquor store Nathan was inquiring about the keg while Haley went to get some margarita mix. Not paying attention, she ran into someone.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" She gasped, as the man kept her from falling over.

"It's alright love." Finn replied, grinning.

"You're not from around here." She said, noticing the accent.

"No, I'm here with friends for the summer."

"Who are your friends? Anyone from around here?" Haley asked the Australian.

"Well, my friend's girlfriend is visiting someone who lives here actually. Rory Gilmore, I think she's been here before." Finn replied, looking over the selection of alcohol.

"Yeah, Rory and Lucas always stay together over the summer. Hey, actually, she and Lucas and Nathan and I are all throwing a beach party tomorrow night. You guys are more than welcome to come if you like." She said, smiling. "I know there's not much else to do in town."

"Will there be alcohol?"

"Of course!"

"Count me in." Finn told her.

"Great, see you tomorrow night at the beach." She said, walking towards the counter to pay for her margarita mix.

-OTH-GG-

Later that night Lucas, Rory, Haley and Nathan were all sitting down enjoying their pizza.

"So who all's coming?" Rory asked before taking a bite.

"Well…" Haley replied, grabbing a bread stick, "Peyton, Brooke, Mouth, and a bunch of our other friends are all telling a bunch of other people about it." She shrugged. "I really have no idea how many people will be there."

Rory nodded. "It should be fun."


	11. Confessions and Kisses

**AN:** Thanks for all the reviews! I am glad you guys like it so far! Anyways, let me know what you think:) The long AN is on my blog.

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Chapter 11 

Rory pulled the tank top on over her bathing suit and looked in the mirror. A jean skirt, tank top and flip flops looked perfect for the party.

"Lucas!" She called, applying lip gloss.

Lucas walked into the room, stopping when he saw her. She looked hot. This wasn't his best friend who was missing a front tooth in first grade.

She glanced up and saw him standing there. Flashing him a smile, she said, "Hey! Ready yet?"

"Uhh…" _'When did I lose the ability to speak?'_

She smirked. "Eloquent vocabulary there. What was your verbal score on the SAT's again?"

Rolling his eyes Lucas walked across the room to swing an arm over her shoulders. "Funny Gilmore. Really."

"Are you ready?"

"Yeah, Nathan and Haley said they'll meet us there." He told her, allowing her to walk in front of him.

"Great, come on."

He shook his head watching as she walked ahead. It was going to be a long night.

-GG-OTH-

Haley and Nathan were sitting on the sand, looking out at the waves.

"How much longer?" She asked, breaking their silence.

Nathan looked confused. "Until what?"

Haley shot him a look of frustration. She knew she wasn't the only one who saw the chemistry between Lucas and Rory. Currently, Rory was standing with her back to Lucas. He was tickling her sides as she struggled to get away. They were both laughing.

"Until those two finally admit what everyone else can see."

Nathan nodded. Until Rory had showed up he thought that Lucas was having some sort of a girl problem. He assumed Rory would be able to help him out. Little did he know the exact extent of the situation.

He shook his head. "I have no idea."

He looked around, watching as people helped themselves to the food and drinks. They had a bonfire going and were grilling. Nathan and Haley arrived two hours ago. They were early to set everything up. Their friends began to arrive about an hour after that. Since their arrival, Lucas and Rory had been inseparable.

"They'll figure it out." He told the brunette next to him. He turned to face her. "I don't really want to talk about them anymore."

"Um, ok." She said, glancing around.

"Haley," Nathan whispered, causing her to look at him.

"Yeah?"

"Would you go out to dinner with me?" He asked her. His voice was calm but on the inside he was freaking out.

She smiled. "I'd love to."

Leaning in, Nathan went to kiss her, but a movement to his left caused him to pull back. "Damn! What are they doing here?"

Haley blinked, shocked by the sudden change. She had been expecting his warm lips on hers, not for him to pull back and curse. "What?"

Nathan pointed. "See those three guys?"

Haley nodded, and he continued. "The blonde is Rory's boyfriend. The other two are his friends."

"Uh…" She felt guilty. It wasn't like she knew that the Australian she invited was Rory's boyfriend's friend. How was a girl to know these things?

"I wonder how they found out about the party."

"Nathan… I kinda invited them."

"What? Why? How? When?" He asked, firing the questions off quickly.

She quickly explained to him about the encounter with the Aussie at the liquor store. Nathan shook his head and watched as Logan walked up to Rory. All he knew was his brother was not going to be happy about the other guy's presence.

-GG-OTH-

"Lu-cas! Stop it!" Rory gasped, laughing uncontrollably.

Lucas responded by tickling her harder. "Nope!"

"Pllleeeeaaaseee? Mercy!" She begged, gasping for breath.

Lucas opened his mouth to reply, but suddenly tensed up and let his arms drop.

Rory turned around, surprised he had actually given up on tickling her. "What's wrong?" She asked, following his gaze. "Oh."

She saw Finn, Colin, and Logan. Finn and Colin were talking to a few girls, while Logan was making his way towards them.

"You didn't tell me you invited him." Lucas said, staring as the other blonde headed his way.

"I didn't." She quietly replied, looking between the two. Their gazes showed that there was obviously no love lost.

"Hey Logan." She said, once he was within hearing distance.

Logan narrowed his eyes at the man he had just watched hold his girl friend. "Hey Ace." He leaned to kiss her, but she moved her head so the kiss landed on her cheek.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him, not meeting his eyes.

"You don't want me here?" He asked her.

She shook her head. "I didn't say that. I just wanted to know why you're here."

Logan looked at Lucas who was standing with his arms crossed over his chest and his face guarded. His eyes were narrowed.

"Can we talk somewhere without your guard dog?" Logan asked her, jabbing a thumb in Lucas' direction.

Rory looked between the two guys, realizing that there would be a fight soon if she didn't separate them. Lucas really couldn't stand Logan, and apparently the feeling was mutual.

She grabbed Logans hand and led him away from the group.

"Talk." She said, crossing her arms once they were a ways down the beach.

"What is your problem?" Logan asked her, staring at her in confusion.

"You are!"

"What the hell did I do? You haven't answered my calls in days. I'm supposed to be your boyfriend, yet you spend all your time with Lucas!" He spat, growing angry.

"He's my best friend!" She yelled. "You knew I wanted to spend time alone with him, yet you still came here."

Logan sighed and took a deep breath. He was getting angry and he knew that if he got angry nothing would be solved. "Ok, I get that. But why can't you spend any time with me? All I'm asking for is a little of your time here Ace."

Rory looked down, feeling ashamed. She hadn't looked at it from his point of view. He did fly all the way down here, just to spend time with her. He could have been in another country, enjoying drinks and partying, yet here he was, in front of her, pleading for some of her time.

"I'm sorry." She said, grabbing his hands. "Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow what?" He asked, caressing her hands with his.

Rory smiled up at him. "Tomorrow we'll spend the whole day together. Is that okay?"

Logan smiled at her and pulled her against him in a hug. "That's better than okay."

They stood in the embrace for a few minutes before beginning to walk back to the party, hand in hand.

Rory turned to Logan once they arrived back. "I'm going to spend some time with Lucas tonight since I'll be with you tomorrow, okay?"

Logan smiled and nodded, kissing her. "I love you, Ace."

Rory's eyes flew wide and she bit her lip. "I gotta go."

She hurried away, leaving Logan to watch after her.

-GG-OTH-

"I've been looking for you." Lucas told her ten minutes later, sinking onto the sand beside her. He handed her a bottle of Corona, taking a drink from his own.

She shrugged.

"What did he do?" He questioned her, lying on his side to watch her.

"Nothing… except act like the perfect boyfriend. He loves me. He wants to dote on me. He follows me here… it's just… things aren't right." She sighed, looking into Lucas' eyes. "I don't feel it when I'm with him… I should… I just…" Her voice trailed off as she looked into the distance, not focusing on anything in particular.

"You don't feel what?" Lucas questioned her, entwining their fingers together.

She felt her eyes fill up with tears. "This." She whispered, pressing her lips to his. The kiss was soft, tender, and filled with promise, even though it just lasted a second. "Oh, God… I need to… go." She said, tears trickling down her face now. She stood up and ran away.


	12. Avoidance

AN: Thanksfor all the reviews.Sorry for the delay! This is mainly a filler. I knew from the start it would be a filler. But hey, look at the bright side. Next chapter definitely won't be a filler.So... just remember, this chapter sets important events up for the next chapter.

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Chapter 12

Peyton walked over to the blonde that was staring at the fire. She knew from the look on his face he was just starting to realize he was going to lose her heart. She saw him earlier, staring at their retreating backs, walking further down the beach. Further away from him. Once they were out of his sight he turned towards the flames, watching them flicker.

"They're hard not to watch, huh?" She asked, now standing beside him.

Logan turned to look at her, a wry expression on his face. He shook his head, not saying anything.

Peyton took a deep breath. She liked Rory, she really did. Rory was good for Lucas. She made him happy. But that didn't make watching them together any easier. Sure, time had healed her broken heart, but there was still a slight sting left.

"I used to love him you know." She told him, breaking their silence.

Logan turned to look at her, surprise evident on his face. He wasn't sure why she was telling him this. "What happened?" He questioned her before he could stop himself.

She continued once she realized she had Logan's complete attention. She shrugged. "It didn't work out. He didn't love me. I knew he could never love me. It was kind of 'what's the point?' you know?"

"Why wouldn't he?"

"Because, whether he realizes it or not, he loves her. He always has, he always will. She means everything to him. In the end, they will be together."

Logan gave her a questioning look. "I thought you liked Rory?"

"I do." She answered him simply.

"Then, uh…" He trailed off, not sure how to word his thoughts. For a writer he was having the worst time coming up with words.

"She's a great person. She didn't have anything to do with our relationship failing. Lucas will never love anyone except her. It's just a fact. He doesn't realize it though. That was the problem."

"You could have ignored it." Logan told her, shaking his head.

She gave him a sad smile. "No, no. The kind of love they have for each other isn't the kind that is ignorable. It's the kind that's so obvious to everyone around them that you want to smack the two of them until they see it. It's the kind that lasts… and makes everyone else sick to their stomachs in the process." She paused. "I couldn't ignore it anymore than I could blame either of them. I ignore it, and my heart breaks slowly over time. I get angry with Rory, and Lucas would never forgive me. The situation we were in was no one's fault. You can't help who you love."

Peyton paused, watching as Logan took her words in. "Think about it. If you need me, I'm here."

With that she walked away, leaving the blonde man to continue to stare into the flickering fire, wondering how much longer the flames of his relationship would last before they burnt out, and nothing was left.

-OTH-GG-

Lucas paced the floor. It had been hours since Rory ran away from him. He didn't immediately go after her since he needed to process. He needed to think. He knew beyond a doubt that he was deeply, madly, truly, head over heels in love with his best friend. And she kissed him. He was doing just fine watching her with Logan and slowly dying inside… then she kissed him. And ran away. She ran away from him.

He continued to pace, his thoughts tearing him up, haunting him. He heard the slight tick-tock of the clock.

He was waiting for her to come home. They needed to sort things out, and soon. If not, things would just turn awkward, and that would ruin their friendship. He loved her too much to lose her completely. If she was going to tell him it was a mistake and it didn't mean anything to her, it would kill him. It would kill him, but he would deal with it. He just needed to talk to her, and sort things out.

-GG-OTH-

Rory knocked on the door lightly, hoping someone was home. She couldn't go back to Lucas', not yet.

The door opened. "Hey, can I stay the night?" She asked hopefully.

The girl nodded. "Come on in Rory."

The girls walked into the living room. "Do you need some pajamas?"

Rory looked down, nodding again. "Sorry about this, Brooke. I just needed…"

"Hey hey hey, hold on. We'll get comfy and grab some junk food before you start the story, ok?"

Rory smiled gratefully at Brooke. "Thanks."

-OTH-GG-

The girls discussed Rory's dilemma late into the night with mint chocolate chip ice cream and Oreos. Neither girl was exceptionally tired, so they stayed awake even as the sun rose.

"I know, I know." Rory nodded, playing with her coffee cup.

"Rory, you need to talk to Lucas before you do anything else. Find out how he feels about everything that has happened." Peyton said, having joined the two other girls hours before.

"I will… I just, I don't know what to say."

"Don't worry about what you'll say. Just go talk to him. You'll find the words." Brooke reassured her as Rory's cell phone rang.

"Hello?" Rory asked, not glancing at the caller i.d.

"Hey Ace." Logan greeted her.

Rory rolled her eyes. She did not need to deal with Logan today. She wasn't sure she could face him after everything that had happened.

"Logan, why are you calling so early?" She asked, sitting back in her spot on the couch and draining the last of her coffee.

"I thought I'd take you out for breakfast. It is our day together after all."

'_Shit.'_ She had forgotten. "Uh, Logan, about that…"

"Come on, you can't back out. You promised you would spend the entire day with me."

She sighed guiltily. That she did. "How about if I meet you for breakfast somewhere, then we'll decide what to do today?" She asked, receiving glares from the two girls sitting by her.

-GG-OTH-

Logan sat waiting at a table for Rory to arrive. He took a drink of his coffee. He wasn't sure how everything got so messed up between them.

Before summer ever arrived they were already facing problems in their relationship. He knew it and he knew Rory knew it. He also knew that if he didn't follow Rory to North Carolina he would have lost her because she would have had time to reevaluate everything. The problems weren't so much either of their faults. His family didn't want them together. In their minds, a Huntzberger wife should come straight out of Stepford. They didn't think a woman needed a job. That's what marriage was for. In Hartford society the wives ran their husbands social calendars, and did little else.

Logan didn't agree with his family. He thought Rory was the best thing to have ever happened to him. She was smart and sophisticated. But she was also fun. She had several idiosyncrasies that made her unlike anyone he had ever known. They made her distinctly Rory. It was that combination of quirkiness and sophistication and beauty and brains that made him love her so much.

And love her he did. It wasn't just something he said to hold on to her and keep her. For the first time in his life he meant it when he said those three words.

Despite his feelings he wasn't sure if they would last much longer. He had his family to deal with, and Rory had hers. He knew Lorelai hated him. It wasn't as if she tried to make a secret of it. Lorelai hated everything about Logan, and everything about their relationship. That, along with the new Lucas problem, just added to the strain on their relationship.

Logan thanked the waitress as she filled up his coffee cup. He glanced at his watch, wondering if Rory was even going to show up. Just as he was about to call her again, the diner door opened and Rory walked in.

She smiled slightly, avoiding meeting his eyes as she sat across from him, picking up the cup of coffee he had the waitress bring over for her.

-GG-OTH-

The couple spent the next several hours browsing various shops in town. The day hap, surprisingly, went well. Rory avoided talking about Lucas, explaining to Logan that it was their day alone. He easily accepted this answer, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and holding her close.

Rory yawned, tired from the lack of sleep the night before.

"Tired?" Logan asked her, stopping on the sidewalk.

She nodded, her eyes now heavy. "Very." This was true. She was exhausted. But she didn't want to go back to Lucas' yet. She knew it was wrong. It wasn't fair of her to avoid him like this.

Logan looked into her eyes. "Stay with me tonight. I miss you Ace. Just stay with. Please?"

Rory sighed. She knew it was wrong to avoid Lucas even more, but she needed to. She wasn't ready to talk to him yet. So she took the easy way out. "Sure. I'll spend the night with you, Logan."


	13. Knowing What You Want

**AN:** Sorry for the wait! Thank you for all the reviews. The long AN is at my blog. I responded to individual reviews there. Let me know what you think!

**Thanks to Rikki for her help.** Without her help, this chapter would still be half finished.

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Chapter 13

Lucas waited. He waited for two days for her to come back. Yet she still hadn't returned. He paced the floor the entire first night, waiting. He knew this was her way of dealing with things, but damnit, she shouldn't run from him!

When she still hadn't returned the night after the party he went looking for her. He went to Brooke's, knowing that Rory and Brooke were good friends. That was when he found out she was spending the day with Logan. That piece of information was a blow. It left a bitter taste in his mouth. They kissed and she ran to _him_. She ran to her boyfriend.

That night he continued to wait for her. Finally, his exhausted body found a restless sleep as he lay on the sofa, knowing that no matter what happened their friendship would never quite be the same as it was before that short kiss. He could no longer deny what he wanted. He would no longer deny what he wanted.

He heard the door creak open sometime after dawn and he opened his eyes immediately. It wasn't like he was getting any real sleep anyway. Lucas stayed perfectly still, listening as her soft footsteps brought her closer to him.

Rory continued to tip-toe to her room, trying not to wake Lucas as he lay on the couch. She left Logan's early that morning, after getting little sleep. Nothing happened between them, as she was exhausted and confused, but her mind was too jumbled for her to truly enjoy any rest.

She was almost out of the living room. _'Whew… no confrontation before coffee. That's always a good thing.'_

"So you're back." His voice cut into her thoughts, halting her nearly soundless steps.

'_Damn. Coffee is needed.'_ She slowly turned around, letting out a long breath. "Hey."

Lucas scoffed. "Hey." He mocked, his expression unreadable.

"Um, about before… I…" She trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"You ran away. You kissed me, and you ran away." He finished for her, now standing. He walked the few steps to her. Anger was radiating off of him.

"You're my best friend… I just," Rory paused, taking a deep breath. "I didn't want to make things weird."

Lucas let out a humorless laugh. "Yeah, and running away and not talking to me for two days isn't weird. Way to be normal there, Rory."

She looked down, not meeting his heated gaze.

"So, tell me, where were you the past two days?" He knew the answer. He just wanted to see how she responded.

"With Brooke." Rory softly answered, biting her lip.

"And Logan." He finished for her.

Surprise flickered in her eyes and she looked up at him in shock. "How did you-"

"I went to Brooke's to find you."

"He's my boyfriend, I needed to talk to him."

"And I'm your best friend, but I suppose that doesn't matter, does it?" He shook his head angrily. "Cause you wouldn't want your _boyfriend_ to be upset."

"Don't do this!" She shouted, almost pleading.

"Don't do what? Don't be pissed because you ran to Logan after you kissed me? God Rory, you went out of your way to avoid him this past week, but the second you kiss me, you're done avoiding him. What the hell do you want?"

"Nothing. I don't want anything." She insisted, fighting back tears. "Besides, I can talk to my boyfriend if I want to!"

"Did you?" He crossed his arms, waiting for her answer. "Did you talk to him? Did you tell him you kissed me?"

They fought over the years. They would disagree and be mad. But that rarely lasted longer than a few minutes. They were never mean to each other. Screaming matches weren't the norm for them. This, this was different. He knew it, she knew. Everything was different.

"No." She whispered, turning her back to him to walk to her room. Away from the questions. Away from the yelling. Away from him.

Lucas grabbed her arm, effectively halting her movements. "Damn it Rory, don't run away from me." He hissed. He wasn't about to let her walk away again and leave him to wonder what hell was happening.

"What did you expect me to do? I was scared!" Rory cried, defending herself as she spun around to meet his gaze.

"Don't fucking give me that! Run away from whoever you want, but damn it, don't run away from me!" He roared at her.

He took a deep breath. "You've always, _always_ ran to me whenever something was wrong. Never in your life have you ever ran away from me." He backed up. "I can't do this anymore. I can't. I know what I want. I want you. Find me when you know what you want."

With that Lucas was out the door, leaving a stunned Rory. He just walked out on her.

-GG-OTH-

Rory sat on the couch unsure what her next move should be. She knew things would never, ever be the same between her and Lucas again. He told her to find him when she knew what she wanted. What did she want?

She complained about needing space away from Logan. She was supposed to be figuring their relationship out. Shaking her head Rory realized that no matter what way she looked at it they wouldn't be together much longer. She wasn't willing to jeopardize her relationship with Lorelai for him. His family hated her. It just wasn't going to work out.

By Logan following her to Tree Hill he simply prolonged things. And he started to strain her relationship with Lucas. Lucas… the one person she could always rely on. The person she felt safest with. The person she wished was with her on the couch at that moment, holding her.

She noticed different things about him so far this summer than she had before. She always knew he was cute, but she never really looked at him as anything other than her best friend. At least, not until recently. She noticed the way his blonde hair glimmered in the sunlight. She noticed the way his blue eyes lit up when he laughed. She noticed how toned he was from hours of basketball. She was noticing him as a man instead of a friend. Somehow, Rory didn't think that was such a bad thing.

Then she kissed him. The kiss scared her. It honestly, totally, completely scared her. It wasn't a long make out session. There were no tongues. It was short. But in that short kiss she felt more than she ever had with anyone ever before. No ones kisses compared. No ones kisses had ever knocked her world off its axis. Lucas was her best friend. She wasn't supposed to be thinking these things. So she ran.

"God," Rory groaned, holding her head in her hands. She really screwed up. Why did she stay away for two days? She shouldn't be scared of Lucas, or of her feelings for him. He would never hurt her. Even now, as angry as he was, he was giving her the upper hand. Whatever happened would be her decision. With that thought in mind she stood up and headed for the door.

She knew what she wanted and she was going to go after it. She was going to go after him.

-OTH-GG-

Rory walked into the gym a few hours later. Once she left Lucas' house she stopped by the café to have some coffee. She needed to stop and reflect. She needed to calm her nerves. She needed to figure out what the hell she was doing. She realized that before she said anything to Lucas she needed to talk to Logan. She needed to set things straight and send him on his way. She called him, left him voicemails, dropped by the place he was staying. He was no where to be found.

Finally, she gave up looking for Logan. She knew that if she didn't take care of things with Lucas soon it would be too late. The Logan situation would just have to wait.

She stopped by the basket ball court first just in case he went there. She knew everything about him. Over the years she learned that when he got so angry, so pissed, he needed to release his aggression in some way. He chose physical activity.

Lucas would punish his body with grueling workouts to get his mind off his problems. When he would finally leave the gym or the court he would be so exhausted that as soon as his head hit his pillow he was out. It was his way of dealing. That was how she knew he would be at the gym.

She walked up to the counter, seeing a familiar looking guy there.

"Hey, is Lucas here?" She asked, vaguely remembering him as a friend of Lucas'.

The dark haired guy nodded. "Yeah, he's been here for a while actually. He's in the locker room, and I'm closing up. He has the key; you can wait for him if you want. I need to go though."

"Thanks." She smiled, slowly making her way over to the locker rooms. She stood outside, waiting for several minutes. Her nerves were getting the better of her. What would he say? What was she going to say? What if he didn't really want her? 'What if's' were consuming her, driving her crazy.

Rory began to turn around to leave the gym. She wasn't so sure anymore. Halting her movements she took a deep breath and turned back around, barging into the men's locker room where the guy said Lucas could be found.

She stomped into the room, thoughts fleeing her mind. This was it. She was going to talk to him and get things together now. She wasn't paying attention to the fact that she was walking in on her best friend in a locker room. She was just going for what she wanted.

"We need to talk. Now." She insisted, her tone rushed, firm. It left no room for argument.

"Uh…?" Lucas stood there, in front of her, wearing only a white towel around his waist as he reached for his clothes. His skin was glistening wet from a shower, his hair sticking up in every which direction.

Rory's jaw dropped. She felt her face heat up, but she couldn't look away. She allowed her eyes to trail appreciatively up his body, taking in his rock hard abs and well defined muscles. Sure, she had seen him in only boxers before, but this was different. This was intimate. Her gaze finally reached his face, where her eyes connected with his. Her face flamed. He had just caught her blatantly checking him out.

"Uh… mmm… sorry. I was just…" She stammered, words evading her.

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Ogling me?" He finished for her, a smirk planted firmly on his face.

"I'll just…" She jabbed her thumb in the direction of the door.

Lucas walked towards her, grabbing her arm before she could leave. Her skin tingled where he touched her. She felt her breathing hitch. When he finally spoke, looking deep into her eyes, his voice was husky.

"Rory, what are you doing here?"

She paused, suddenly feeling scared and unsure. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

"Rory," He said again, stepping closer to her. "Why are you here?"

"You told me to come." She quietly said, unable to think as his presence sent her senses in over drive. The smell of his soap, the feel of his wet hand on her arm, the sight of him before her: They were all driving her crazy, making her want to do things she shouldn't.

He flashed her a confused look.

"You, you told me to come find you when I decided what I wanted." She explained, licking her lips, finding the simple act of breathing had suddenly become difficult as she watched a droplet of water trail down his stomach, vanishing in the towel around his waist.

It was his turn to be unsure. His heart thudded so loudly he was sure she could hear it. "And what is it you want?" He whispered the question, afraid of her answer.

She bravely met his eyes. Rory knew this was it. The turning point. Nothing would be the same.

"You."

He blinked. She said it so softly at first he thought he had imagined it. When he saw the vulnerable look on her face he realized he hadn't imagined it at all.

"Me?" He asked, stepping as close to her as possible.

"Yes. You." She nodded, her throat dry and eyes wide. She was so scared. She never felt this feeling of dread before in her entire life. What if he didn't want her? What if he didn't feel the same? What if she just ruined a life long friendship? What if-

"You have no idea how glad I am that you said that." He replied, pulling her hips to his and crashing their lips together in a bone- melting kiss.

Rory felt everything float away. There were no worries. There were no thoughts. There was no Logan. It didn't matter that they were in a locker room. The only thing she was aware of at that moment was Lucas.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back every bit as passionately as he kissed her. His hands began to roam her body, trying desperately to bring her as close as possible.

She shuddered slightly when his lips made contact with her neck, making her gasp slightly.

Her hands touched his shoulders, his back, up and down she rubbed, not able to touch enough of him. This wasn't enough for her… she wanted more. She wanted him. All of him.

She pushed him back to a locker, unable to keep her urges to herself. Her hands worshiped the surfaces of his body as they ran up and down his still wet chest. His mouth sought hers and he trapped her in a kiss, their tongues dueling.

He wasted no time in removing her shirt as he spun her around to the locker, so he was pinning her. Lucas briefly caught her eyes with his. Blue met blue. He wanted her. God, did he ever want her. But he had to be sure.

"Ror," He gasped, using all his strength to keep from taking her right then.

She looked back at him, seeing the question in his eyes. Rory half smiled, "I'm positive." She reassured him, lifting her hand to stroke his face as she gave him a sweet kiss.

Lucas had all the reassurance he needed. As sweet as the kiss started it quickly built, until neither of them could form a coherent thought.

"Please," She gasped, as he rid her of her jeans and underwear. She wrapped her legs around his waist, losing herself in him. Her hands dropped to his towel, where she slowly undid it. There were no clothes. No more barriers. Just them.

He dipped his head to her breasts, where his mouth played, fueling the fire in her even more.

"Lucas…" She cried, gripping his shoulders tighter as her nails dug in.

He groaned, lifting his mouth to hers where he smothered her lips in a kiss, taking her breath away as he swiftly entered her, making her forget everything.

As he thrust in and out of her, her back slammed into the locker behind her, but she gave it no mind. All that existed in that moment was Lucas, there, with her; _in_ her.

She screamed out her release as he tumbled over the edge with her. Together. They stayed there, panting, just looking at each other.

"Are you?" He asked, concerned.

"I'm fine. I'm perfect." She assured him, laying her head on his shoulder.

He nodded, walking her over to a bench and laying down, pulling her on top of him, exhausted.

She laid her head on his chest, a slow smiled curving on her lips. She just had sex with her best friend, but unlike after their kiss, she wasn't going to run. Not anymore.


End file.
